(Minghui.org) Five Bozhou City, Anhui Province residents were sent to Hefei Women’s Prison on May 8, 2020, to serve time for their faith in Falun Gong, a spiritual and meditation discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.
Prior to their imprisonment, the local detention center denied the practitioners' family visits and only allowed one phone call with their families per month, with the excuse of the coronavirus epidemic.
Four of the practitioners are sisters, including Ms. Mu Min, Ms. Mu Pengjuan, Ms. Mu Xia and Ms. Mu Lifang. They were each sentenced to 7.5 years in prison with a 50,000-yuan fine in mid-January 2020. The fifth practitioner, Ms. Jiang Jianmei, was given 4.5 years and fined 30,000 yuan.
They appealed the sentences with the Bozhou City Intermediate Court, which upheld their verdicts.
The five practitioners were arrested on April 17, 2019. Another six members of the Mu sisters' family, including their mother Ms. Wang Yulan, nearly 80, were also arrested and held briefly in custody.
Five Anhui Residents, Including Four Sisters, Sentenced to 4.5-7.5 years for Practicing Falun Gong
Five Anhui Residents, Including Four Sisters, Stood Trial for Their Faith